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ComEd Four trial coverage roundup

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Illinois

* Here you go…

* Tribune | Defense attorney calls ‘ComEd Four’ bribery case ‘collateral damage’ in feds’ quest to bring down ex-Speaker Michael Madigan: “There isn’t an envelope in this world big enough to fit all the money that they made ComEd pay out,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane MacArthur said in her closing argument to the jury. But defense attorneys scoffed at that notion, saying their clients were not only innocent, but that they were “collateral damage” in the government’s yearslong quest to bring down Madigan, the Democratic leader at the apex of Illinois politics who was long considered to be untouchable.

* Sun-Times | In closing arguments, feds hammer at ‘stunning’ stream of benefits to Madigan while defense calls bribery charges ‘collateral damage’: The prosecutor accused Pramaggiore and Hooker of lying on the stand last week, including when Pramaggiore said she didn’t grasp Madigan’s connection to the subcontractors until after she learned of the feds’ investigation. Though FBI cooperator Fidel Marquez told her in a recorded Feb. 18, 2019, phone call that the subcontractors “pretty much collect a check,” Pramaggiore testified that she didn’t realize he was talking about people tied to Madigan.

* Crain’s | Conspiratorial liars vs. Madigan-obsessed feds in clashing ‘ComEd Four’ closing arguments: “She said nothing in her testimony about this May 2018 (call),” MacArthur said. Indeed, by the end of that day, McClain was back on the phone with Madigan letting him know he could call Zalewski with the good news he would soon be paid $5,000 a month by ComEd, using Doherty as a conduit.

* Capitol News Illinois | ‘Corrupt influence’ or ‘collateral damage’? Jury to decide fate of ‘ComEd Four’: Before jury deliberations begin on the fate of four ex-Commonwealth Edison officials after a six-week bribery trial, an attorney for one of the defendants got emotional Monday afternoon when imparting the weight of the jury’s task. “Be the shield that you were meant to be,” Patrick Cotter told jurors after gathering himself. “The shield between an individual citizen and a very powerful government, in this case a very powerful government committed, dedicated and on a mission to get Mike Madigan.”

* WTTW | Closing Arguments Begin in ‘ComEd Four’ Trial: ‘Madigan Wanted, ComEd Gave and ComEd Got’: The prosecution also showed the jury a timeline of when folks recommended by Madigan got contracts with ComEd, and when legislation lucrative to ComEd and its parent company, Exelon, passed. Sometimes, jobs were given right before a bill succeeded, in which case the job was meant to influence Madigan, MacArthur said. Other times, it was right after, in which case she said it was a “reward.”

* Center Square | Prosecutor: ‘There isn’t an envelope in the world big enough’ for ComEd bribes: Another refrain from MacArthur’s closing was aimed at arguments from defense attorneys who said their clients were engaged in legal lobbying. “This was not lobbying,” she said. “This was not building goodwill. This was a bribe.”

* ABC Chicago | Attorneys deliver closing arguments in bribery case surrounding ex-Speaker Madigan: Defense attorneys argued that “there is no evidence that Madigan did anything for them.” They also argued that prosecutors “have no witness. They have no email. They have no tape that links them.”Defense attorneys also added, as they have throughout the trial, that ComEd often turned down Madigan’s job recommendations and, that it was real and legal lobbying by the utility company that caused legislation to pass and not a dozen jobs given over a nine-year period.

* CBS Chicago | Closing arguments begin in federal ComEd bribery trial: Pramaggiore’s attorney pointed out Madigan only cared about himself and his own political interests, not ComEd. They detailed witness testimony refuting the government’s bribery theory. Witnesses argued they don’t believe ComEd crossed the line.

posted by Isabel Miller
Tuesday, Apr 25, 23 @ 9:36 am

Comments

I was not in the courthouse, but a first hand account by the Chicago Tribune reporter covering the U. S. Courthouse related “To use a boxing analogy, Bhachu (a US Attorney) just landed something along the lines of 63 consecutive body blows there”.

Comment by Back to the Future Tuesday, Apr 25, 23 @ 3:05 pm